South Dakota Center for Enterprise Opportunity Names New Board Members

The South Dakota Center for Enterprise Opportunity (SD CEO) at Black Hills State University is pleased to announce the appointment of two new board members.

The SD CEO is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization which works in partnership with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Black Hills State University to help small businesses get started or grow. The mission of the SD CEO is “to provide comprehensive training and business assistance, support and counseling for aspiring and established entrepreneurs to foster economic development in South Dakota.”

New members include:

Nina Braunis a CPA and Partner at Ketel Thorstenson. She’s been with the firm since 2005. Previously, she was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) based in the Washington, D.C., metro area. She graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and from the University of Southern California with a master of accounting degree. Nina is a member of the South DakotaCertified Public Accountant (SD CPA) Society and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). She is also very active in the community. She was a member of the Leadership Rapid City class that founded Rapid City Summer Nights and continues to be active with the project. She is also the current president of Rapid City Women’s Network. As a first-generation American, raised in New Jersey, Nina now lives in Rapid City with her husband, Erik, and their two children, five-year- old Elena and three-year-old Alexandra.

Rod Cowling is a partner with Western Dakota Insurors. He has been with Western Dakota Insurors since graduating from Black Hills State University in 1999. Rod obtained the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation from the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research in 2005. Rod has served on the Black Hills Home Builders (BHHB) Board of Directors and was president of the Construction Industry Center in 2010. He is currently active with the BHHB, Associated General Contractors (AGC), and the Construction Industry Center. Rod was born and raised in Rapid City where he lives with his wife, Janna, and their two children, Taylor and Molly.

The SD CEO is partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The support given by the U.S. Small Business Administration through such funding does not constitute an expressed or implied endorsement of any of the components or participants’ opinions, products or services. SD CEO operates under Cooperative Agreement SBAHQ-11-W-0038. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.

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